


I Seem Like Two But I Am One

by GothMoth



Series: Ectobers Ectoplasmic Splatters [4]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Ectobiology, Gen, Identity Reveal, Jack And Maddie Are Scientists And They Are Going To Figure Things Out Through Science, Science, The Process Of Elimination, mentions of dan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-16 10:58:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21035135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothMoth/pseuds/GothMoth
Summary: Danny decided to tell his folks about being Phantom. Now they have to figure out what to do about that and what, exactly, being a halfa means.





	I Seem Like Two But I Am One

**Author's Note:**

> Ectober 2019 day 3: Bond

“So, um yeah”, Danny shuffles awkwardly while Maddie and Jack blink at him. Rubbing his neck and looking around, “so, um, do you want to see? The whole transforming...thing?”. 

Maddie and Jack exchange a glance. Of course, they wanted to see, but they also didn’t want their boy to be a ghost. Halfway or not. 

Maddie nods and holds her hand up lightly, “could I check your pulse first though? And...after?”. 

Danny nods holding his wrist out to her and Maddie grips it gently. Really noticing and paying attention to just how cold her sons skin is for the first time. Sure she had noticed he was cold to the touch, both of them had, but it was disregarded easily. Not everyone ran at the exactly same temperature and she had believed him to be strangely ectocontaminated. So it hadn’t seemed _that _strange. 

Smiling at picking up the pulse, it was slow, too slow, but it was there all the same. Danny rubs his neck as Jack checks for himself, “yeah I know it’s kind of...slow. But it’s fine, I don’t really notice”, shrugging, “and it kind of helps with the whole ‘not bleeding out from major injuries’ thing”. 

Danny looks at his toes when both of them cringe. They knew full well Phantom got hurt a lot and knowing that was _their son,_ well that wasn’t pleasant. Or at least that was their sons' ghosts, somehow fused with his somehow still alive -partly alive?- body.

Danny clears his throat, “um anyway...”, trailing off as a ring of bright slightly blue light shoots out of his stomach and travels across his body. The two watching as he floats up off the stool slightly and rubs his neck, white glowing hair floating around, “the...floating, is kind of automatic. Really have to force myself to not”. 

Maddie nods, it made perfect sense, ghosts were naturally in a state of gravity nullification. But her Danny shouldn’t be having to deal with that. 

Jack checks over Danny’s pulse again before handing his sons wrist back over to his wife. Firmly glad it’s still there and unchanged. Of course he had hovered his fingers over Danny’s glowing ecto-field, feeling the chill and tingle of it. And rubbed the texture of his jumpsuit, so much like their own. It was easy to see now how it was just the inversion of the suit Jack had lovingly crafted for Danny not too long ago. The same one that went missing only months ago, and now he knew why. It has fused to Danny’s ghost...or ghost half? 

Watching Danny as a whole again as he bobs slightly in the air, toxic green eyes leaving faint light tracers. Jack can tell his postures changed, it’s more confident, more bold, more aggressive. It made sense, ghosts were things untethered to human insecurities and were very strong in their ways. But it also made it clear that Phantom, while his son's ghost and part of him, wasn’t exactly him. It was him but different, ghostly, “I’m not sure how we never noticed before”. 

Danny shrugs, taking his arm back. Clearly resisting putting his hands behind his head and smiling, as he speaks, “well I was hiding it and it should really be impossible. So makes sense you wouldn’t guess”. 

Maddie nods, also noting the subtle behavior change, “true”, shifting in her seat slightly and making a point to sound gentle, “would you be okay with us taking samples? See how it is possible? That it’s really safe”. 

Danny smiles, “yeah okay, I trust you guys. Obviously”.

Maddie and Jack exchange a glance, Jack tilting his head as he speaks, “then why wait so long to tell us?”. The unspoken question of ‘maybe we could have fixed it’ being rather obvious to everyone. 

Danny frowns slightly, “nerves mostly. Didn’t want to get in trouble, didn’t know how you’d react to the whole part ghost thing. Since you pretty aggressively hate ghosts. But after a while, it became more that I didn’t want to be an experiment. And then you started hunting me, which no hard feelings about, was even rather fun sometimes”, crossing his legs and resting his elbow on his legs, chin in his palm, “but I got reminded how important you both are to me recently”.

Maddie smiles at that, “you mean the world to us too sweetie”, choosing to ignore the whole ‘hunting her own kid and him finding it ‘fun’’ thing, and walking to get a testing kit. 

Jack tilts his head as he pulls out a needle and blood vials, eyeballing his sons jumpsuit covered arm and wondering how the get through that. Not exactly liking the idea of just using a bigger needle. Even if ghosts can’t feel pain, he’s pretty sure his son can. Whether that means their hypothesis about ghost pain is wrong or the effect of his ghost still being bound to a human body, remains to be seen. 

Danny chuckles before unzipping his jumpsuit and pulling it off his arms, leaving the top half of the suit to float lazily around his waist. 

Jack gapes and shakes his head, “you can take it off?”.

Danny nods while Jack takes in the very human skin colour, even if it’s glowing, and the sporadic white chest hairs. Other ghosts not having something matching normal human skin tones, possibly an effect of the human body? Jack hands Maddie the needle and Danny gives her his arm. Jack speaking as she draws the blo-ectoplasm. Which is incredibly weird to see coming from who he knows is his, not dead, son, “are you sure you’re okay with us taking samples from you? And does it feel different, the ectoplasm?”.

Danny shrugs and waves his other hand around loosely, “it’s thicker sure, kinda bubbles, but I’m used to it. Never really felt strange at all honestly. And dad, it’s fine. I totally get wanting to check things out”. 

Maddie takes a few more samples and looks at them, looking back at Danny and wondering if human samples would match ghost ones, “would you mind changing back? Giving samples from that...half, of you?”. 

Danny shrugs loosely but uncrosses his legs and chances back with the same bright ring of light. Speaking as he stops floating, “I mean sure. It would make sense for it to be, um, not exactly the same”. 

Both parents glance at each other, noticing the smaller voice and more curled up pose. Danny, human Danny, was undeniably more timid and awkward. While Maddie looks back to Danny and gets back to work. Ruffling his hair quickly as he shifts in the seat. 

Jack nods, “had to say for sure of course!”. Making Danny rub his neck and nod. 

Danny heads up to bed with a small smile after they finish up. It’s obvious to the parents that he was nervous and even scared of telling them. Of how they would react. Which is way neither one broached the topic of if ‘Phantom and Danny were really the same person’ or if ‘he wanted to be fixed’ or why he ‘protected the town’ or what Phantom’s obsession was. Something telling both of them that such questions wouldn’t sit well with him and that what was best for their son was flat-out acceptance. 

But how could anyone accept their kid being partly dead? Being part another, highly dangerous and violent, species? Getting thrown around and injured constantly? Being, what they’re sure is, two separate beings in the same body but so closely related that they can’t view themselves as actually being separate beings. Because, clearly, Phantom and Danny weren’t the same. Phantom was boisterous, cocky, aggressive -but not threateningly so-, and a showman. Danny was shy, withdrawn, skittish, and, blended into the background by nature and completely willingly. One had ectoplasm, one had blood. One glowed and floated, one was bound to Earths gravitational pull. One had powers, one had organs. But both had the same slow pulse, the same weak heartbeat. It left them both wondering just how much divide there was between the two. If, maybe, the connections were few enough to separate them. Or plentiful enough to merge them properly back fully alive and one. Sure technically that would just be the ghost, Phantom, ceasing to exist and going dormant inside Danny. But, based off the scars they’d seen, the increased paranoia, the lying; Danny would be better off without his ghost or fully alive again. Whichever was more accurate and regardless of how. 

Walking down into the lab to really get to work, to see what they can find or figure out. Maddie speaking softly, “do you think this can be fixed?”.

Jack smiles at her reassuringly, “of course! And I’m sure Danny-boy would like to have his normal life back!”, Jack frowns slightly before looking up the stairs with a large smile, “course he’s our boy regardless”. Which Maddie nods at. 

They loved their boy, regardless of any strangeness. Fixing this would only be good for him, even if he likely did enjoy the powers. Who wouldn’t? But they can’t exactly tell him their intentions. Phantom wouldn’t exactly like that. But honestly, if the two could, had to be, split then, well, Phantom was still their sons ghost. He was still family. He’d still be welcome even if not being attached to Danny’s body anymore made him more ghostly. 

Jack can’t help but smile over how that would kind of be like have two sons instead of one! Which is cool, even if one’s a ghost and that’s not cool. 

Because even if they both undeniably do and could love their boy, all parts of him, him being ghostly was still incredibly unsettling and just wrong. 

Everything inside Maddie screamed to correct it, partly because a child shouldn’t die to any degree before their parents, partly because ghosts were not good creatures. The idea of her boy having that darkness to him, having ghosts natural unpleasant instincts to struggle against, hurt. Sure his human part? Alive part? made that struggle easier, likely hampering Phantom’s ghostly nature. But if it could be corrected, the burden lifted, then it should be. Of course being separate, Phantom would have to learn to wrangle it in without Danny but maybe being together so long already gave him the skills he’d need. Or maybe being fused at all made him naturally resistant and more human. But by that same logic, that would also mean Danny, human Danny, was irrevocably and irreversibly a little bit ghostly. Would have a little bit of ghost nature. But even if he didn’t get it imprinted on him, being so close to a ghost would make it rub off on him anyway. And that’s okay, strange, but okay. 

Maddie sits down and starts prepping slides and tubes, “he’ll always be family no matter what we find. They both will be”. 

Jack smiles as a machine whirls to life, “Phantom will get cookies and fudge, not ectoblasts, from his parents from here on out!”. Making Maddie laugh, even if it reminded her that Phantom actively got shot at and didn’t mind it much. While Danny surely didn’t want to get shot, just look at how skittish and avoidant he was of their guns?!? Maybe human Danny just had more of a sense of self-preservation, survival instincts? Well of course he did! He was the alive one! Which leaves her wondering if Danny was more vulnerable human or ghost. Maybe they both made each other stronger. Obviously Danny gave Phantom a way around anti-ghost things. Phantom gave him powers in return. Well, if he could actually use them anyway. She’ll have to remember to ask if Danny can use the powers regardless of form. 

Maddie pulls one vial of blood and one of ectoplasm out of the centrifuge and blinks at them. The ectoplasm had a layer of red blood cells and white blood cells at the bottom. The blood had a layer of deep green ectoplasm and foaming pale ectoplasm on top. Muttering at them, “so clearly he has both regardless. The blood and ectoplasm isn’t actually separate, one’s just more dominate depending on form”. 

Jack looks over seconds before both vials start reacting violently. The ectoplasm in the blood sample corroding the blood and the blood in the ectoplasm sample vibrating violently before exploding; destroying the vial. Jack snatching the still intact vial and scrapping the ectoplasm out of it, the sample stabilising. While Maddie grabs another ectoplasm vial and sticks it in the centrifuge, scrapping out the ectoplasm into a separate vial as soon as it’s done spinning. The blood left in the vial still exploding, but the ectoplasm is safe and seems stable in another vial. 

The pair stare down at the mess of blood. ectoplasm, and glass on the floor. Looking up to each other after a bit. Maddie clears her throat, “so the blood and ectoplasm can’t be separated without reacting violently. But if we could make sure to get out all of Phantom’s ectoplasm from Danny he’d be fine. And all of Danny’s blood from Phantom, he’d be fine”. 

Jack nods before looking back to the samples, paling slightly seeing more violently reacting ectoplasm had formed on the top of the blood sample. Rushing to scrape it off while speaking, “it looks like his blood produces ectoplasm all on its own”. 

Maddie stares, “you don’t think, that being fused with Phantom is all that stopped him from dying? That without him Danny’s body would just stop functioning after a while?”. 

Jack nods somewhat weakly before both turn their heads to the ectoplasm sample as it begins foaming and overflowing from the vial. Jack whispering, “Danny’s blood stabilises Phantom’s ectoplasm”, before looking to Maddie, “they’ll both die without each other”. 

Maddie sits down a bit numbly, running a hand through her hair, “well, let’s see what else we can find. See if there’s some way around...that”. 

Moving to the microscope only shows more of the same. Both samples having more of one over the other and both interacting easily. But if blood separated from ectoplasm or ectoplasm separated from blood, they would seemingly fall out of sync and react violently. Complete destruction of nuclei and cell walls. Dissolving both samples into gooey unviable messes. Removing the ectoplasm from the blood sample after separation quick enough seemed to keep it from getting destroyed but the blood kept making more and more. 

Maddie sighs and leans back, letting the sample turn to a mess, “he’d have to constantly be getting decontaminated. Daily at least. And this, it might hurt him”. Maddie looks to Jack when he doesn’t respond. 

Meanwhile, Jack has gotten an idea and mixed in another sample of weaker sentient ectoplasm in with Phantom’s ectoplasm sample; after removing the volatile blood. Watching as Phantom’s ectoplasm devours the foreign ectoplasm and seems to take what it needs from it. Successfully stabilising. 

Jack turns to Maddie and lifts up the totally normal-seeming slide of ectoplasm, pointing at Maddie’s ruined blood slide, “try adding a compatible blood sample. Seemed to work for Phantom’s ectoplasm”. 

Maddie looks at the slide and shakes her head, “no. The problems aren’t the same, it won’t work. Danny’s blood’s perfectly stable, Phantom’s ectoplasm isn’t, wasn’t. Danny’s blood just needs to not produce ectoplasm”. 

Both look up as the DNA sequencer finishes with a beep. Maddie grabbing it due to being closer only to gape down at the four papers. One for Phantom’s separated ectoplasm, one for Danny’s separated blood, one for Phantom’s normal mixture, and one for Danny’s normal mixture. 

Unlike with the vials both normal mixtures come out exactly the same. Identical mash ups of ghostly DNA and human DNA. So heavily so that to try and separate it would just destroy everything. Both papers for the separated mixtures showing only half strands of DNA, which would be simply unmaintainable. 

Handing them to Jack as she sets up some of Phantom’s separated blood with Jack’s ectoplasm fusion idea applied, to run through the machine.

Jack looks at Maddie as she sits back down before both stare back down at the paper showing Danny’s separated blood samples half formed DNA. Maddie speaking quietly, “even if we could keep his ectoplasm levels down, nothing can survive long with DNA this badly damaged”. Jack just nods as he puts the papers on the table. 

While Maddie stares at the DNA sequencer, Jack goes about seeing if the ectoplasm and blood could be fused in a way that would remove the ectoplasm. Nothing works until he accidentally gives one sample a massive electrical shock and knocks over a beaker of raw ectoplasm into it at the same time. 

Maddie muttering, “careful honey”, as Jack stands up. Jack stands and waits for a while, the DNA sequencer beeping during that time. Turning his head to her as she grapes the paper. 

Maddie whispers down at the paper, “that’s not fair”, and shows it to Jack. The paper showing stable ghost DNA. Jack nods, “so Phantom can be stabilised...but not Danny”. 

Maddie whispers again, “that’s just not fair”. 

Jack shrugs somewhat defeatedly, “it makes sense though. Ectoplasm is more adaptable. Ghost bodies are less complicated. But...”, Jack sets up another vial with a sample of Danny’s blood separated from its ectoplasm and gives it a massive electrical shock while dumping raw ectoplasm on it. 

Maddie raises an eyebrow at him, seriously wondering what exactly he’s doing, while he just points at the microscope. Maddie moves over to it and gasps down at the totally normal sample of human blood, not a speck of ectoplasm. So the ectoplasm could just be destroyed out of the blood, but that...that would certainly destroy Phantom. 

Maddie looks over the Jack, who’s gapping. Looking down at the vial he’d electrocuted and seeing ectoplasm, not blood. Jack shakes himself and sets up a slide, giving it over to Maddie while he sits. So Danny, while fused with Phantom, could be made normal again. But separated he seemingly just dies? Why? Is it just because ectoplasm is inherently corrosive to blood but bloods not to ectoplasm? Making the ectoplasm more dominate by default? Or was something else going on?

Maddie looks down at the sample, it was pure regular ghost ectoplasm. Likely Phantom’s. Meaning Danny would fully become Phantom if they tried this on him after separating him from Phantom. Lifting her head up and looking to Jack, “then Phantom’s ectoplasm must be protecting his blood during that electrical shock. But if Phantom’s separated from Danny then his ectoplasm that’s still in Danny is unstable. Too unstable to protect the blood”. 

Jack laughs a bit hollowly, “so Phantom’s, if stable, ectoplasm will sacrifice itself to save Danny. That tracks honestly”. Maddie can’t help but laugh as well. Down to the veins Phantom was protective and self-sacrificial. He was good, god he was good. Somehow he managed to go against his nature and become undeniably good, how had they ever seen him as anything else? 

Maddie huffs as she calms down, looking over all the samples, “so either Danny could be made a regular human again but destroying Phantom as a result. Or Phantom can be made a stable regular ghost but Danny would slowly die as a result”. 

Jack nods before snapping his fingers. Grabbing some samples of the stabilised fully ghost Phantom ectoplasm and making another vial of Danny’s blood with the ectoplasm scraped out. Waiting for it to produce more ectoplasm and then adding in Phantom’s stable full ghost ectoplasm. Watching as it instantly obliterates the unstable ectoplasm. Leaving the sample steaming green but completely red. Waiting as it takes five times as long to produce more unstable ectoplasm and repeating what he did earlier, getting the same result. 

Maddie rushes over and takes a sample of the red blood steaming green and sets it up for the DNA sequencer. Both waiting on the results nervously with Jack occasionally adding more Phantom full ghost ectoplasm to Danny’s blood sample, keeping it stable. 

Maddie gapes and hands the paper to Jack with slightly shaking hands. Danny’s DNA was completely normal human DNA. 

Jack nods and looks at the sample, “so if Phantom functionally and frequently gave him ectoplasm donations he’d be okay”. 

“So Danny’d be reliant on Phantom just to keep living”, frowning, “that’s still not fair”. Frowning more as technically Danny currently was already reliant on Phantom to keep living. But at least right now it was mutual. They needed each other explicitly. With this, with just Danny being the reliant one, it would be so easy for Phantom to take advantage of that. Sure Phantom was good, clearly, but he wouldn’t have a human to help him fight his nature and he was still a ghost. Phantom could never truly be trusted, especially separated from Danny. 

Jack looks back over to the electrocuted blood sample, Danny wouldn’t want Phantom destroyed. Not a chance. He was clearly okay with how he was, clearly liked Phantom. Whether Phantom was a separate being or just Danny. Because that boldness, Phantom’s boldness, it really could just be Danny couldn’t it? Danny feeling more bold and sure of himself because of how people looked up to Phantom, because of being stronger, because of having powers. But if that was the case then separating them, would just be separating Danny in two. That would be...incredibly cruel. Unless he wants that, which Jack’s pretty sure Danny doesn’t want. He would have asked if he did right? Danny had pretty much ignored the idea of them ‘fixing him’. 

Looking at Maddie, “I think we should just leave them, him, as is. Leave it alone”. 

Maddie looks at him with a frown, “and just leave him like this? Just accept that he’s partly dead? Partly a ghost? Partly alive? Partly human? It’s one thing a ghost getting hurt the way they clearly do, but Danny’s human. The human part”. 

Jack sighs, it was weird and yeah he didn’t like how much his son clearly got hurt. How he was putting himself in danger. Regardless of what one, ‘cause really Phantom’s his son all the same, is the one that wants to engage in the fights. Wants to protect people. Sighing again, and pointing at the samples, “maybe, maybe viewing them as separate creatures is wrong. Danny-boy said hybrid, not fusion”.

Maddie screws up her face, he acted different in these forms. What other reason could there possibly be for that, “they have different behaviors, sure they’re similar. Of course, they are, Phantom’s Danny’s ghost. They should be similar. And Danny’s fourteen Jack, how could he know exactly what he is? And couldn’t he just be convincing himself that him and Phantom are one and the same?”. 

Jack shrugs, “but by being Danny’s ghost he is technically Danny anyway. And if I had powers, could fight ectoplasmic horrors with nothing but my bare fists with ease, if I was basically adored by nearly an entire town; I’d be more cocky too. Those are all a bunch of major ego boosters Mads”.

Maddie nods, it did make sense. Just having weapons on her made her feel more in control and stronger. Being Phantom potentially gave that to Danny to an extreme. So maybe they were the same. Looking over to the two identical DNA samples, from Danny’s blood and Phantom’s -or Danny’s- ectoplasm. They were identical in every way. Running her fingers over the two papers, this, they had to be the same. It was science, and science didn’t lie. Even if you didn’t like it, and yes, she didn’t like it. 

Putting the papers on the table, “so hybrid. One being. One mind. One body. One set of desires. Not a fusion. Not two of anything”, Maddie shakes her head, she needed further proof, “but Phantom’s affected by anti-ghost stuff, we’ve seen Danny walk through shields and wear the deflector fine. And we haven’t seen Danny use Phantom’s powers. If they’re the same then Danny should be able to use them and Phantom able to be unaffected by anti-ghost stuff”. 

Jack shakes his head, thinking of how Danny’s forms seemed to change whether he had more ectoplasm or more blood, “he’s got more ectoplasm while ghost, that logically should make him more susceptible to anti-ghost stuff. And Mads, Danny is affected by our stuff. The detectors? And maybe, maybe he avoids our weapons because they hurt him regardless not because he’s skittish of them. As for the powers, maybe we really should just ask him to show us if he can?”. 

“I was going to ask him too anyway. If he can. And of course, Danny sets off detectors, he has Phantom’s ectoplasm in him regardless. Overshadowed humans will set off those same detectors”. 

Jack looks up at the ceiling, the best they could do was speculate. They needed more answers from Danny, “we should talk to him then. He’s clearly okay telling us. Heck! He’s probably holding back on information to avoid freaking us out. I would be!”. 

Maddie nods as she gets up, it made sense that he would be avoidant of acting ghostly or doing ghost things. He had said he was worried, afraid even, of how they’d react to the ghost stuff. Looking at Jack and nodding again, “so that we’re clear. Danny is our son, Phantom is our son. Regardless of whether they’re the same person or not and regardless of if they’re ghost, human, hybrid, fused or anything else. Now or in the future”. 

Jack nods strongly, “absolutely. We don’t want to lose either one and we will accept both of them or all of him. Whatever’s more accurate”. 

Maddie smiles as she walks up the stairs, heads to Danny’s room and knocks on the door, “you up sweetie?”. 

“Yeah, I’m guessing you guys want to talk more now?”. 

Maddie laughs lightly, he literally had been giving them some time to adjust and think, “yeah and we tested somethings we’d like to talk to you about”. 

Danny sticks his head out the door and stares at her for a beat before shuffling nervously, “um, I’m not sure if I like that or not. Weren’t you just checking my aliveness?”. 

“You’re pulse proves you’re alive already sweetie, at least alive enough. We’re more curious how your DNA is and difference between your... forms”. 

Danny nods and rubs his neck as he walks out, “that makes sense, I guess. And I can tell you’re still kind of iffy on the forms thing. It’s weird, yeah, but all me”. 

Maddie smiles softly as they head down into the lab, she was pretty well sure he felt that way already but she was going to maintain her doubts currently, “that is something we’ve been debating. How connected you are and if Phantom’s really you”. 

Jack can tell Danny’s nervous as soon as he looks at him. Having heard what his wife said, “regardless we love all of you, or both of you, which ever’s closer”. 

Danny blinks and looks between the two of them before smiling slightly, “thanks. I uh, that means a lot”, shifting on his feet some before walking to a chair and sitting down, “so you guys would be okay with me even if I was all Phantom? Fully ghost?”. 

Both of them nod readily. Jack smiling, “you’re our son. Danny or Phantom. Danny and Phantom. Or even if Phantom is just a”, chuckling, “superhero name you have yourself”. 

That seems to be enough to get Danny to laugh and relax a little, smirking slightly, “Phantom is a pun. It sounds like Fenton and Phantom is another world for ghost”. 

Maddie tilts her head, “so you created the name? What about Phantom’s symbol?”. 

Danny snorts and blushes slightly, “Sam designed that”. 

Now Maddie’s incredibly confused. If that wasn’t just naturally part of Phantom’s form and neither aspect or part or half of Danny made it then how? “How'd Sam’s Doodle wind up on your chest permanently? Part of Phantom’s body?”. 

“Oh yeah, that was a really weird day. I wound up fully human again and got amnesia because of some reality-altering, so she stuck a fabric cut-out of the design on my chest before I re-half-died”. 

Jack and Maddie gape at him. Both stunned stupid that he had already became fully human again, destroyed Phantom, but intentionally made himself like this again. That was one massive ‘I want to be and am happy this way’ sign if there ever was one. Dying, even partly, had to be horribly painful. 

Jack’s the one to ask, “so you had the option to be normal, full human, again but choose not to?”. 

Danny nods, “well yeah, I’m happy like this. I don’t want to change it, I, um, really _really_ do not”. 

Both parents can see Danny’s slightly freaked out now, both believing that he was genuinely that bothered by being ‘fixed’ but Maddie’s wondering if that’s Phantom’s influence. 

Danny obviously can tell she’s wondering about that as he speaks up again, “and yeah that was entirely mine, as in full human Danny’s, decision. The amnesia, I literally forgot about being Phantom, the powers, all of it. Which yeah, I uh, was really confused about all the scaring that morning. Oh actually, everyone forgot about Phantom existing at all. But well, Sam remembered and she had a scrapbook and told me stories. The decision was easy once I knew she was telling the truth”.

Jack nods and smiles, “well that settles that then”. 

Danny blinks and squints at them, “you guys were...trying to test if I could be fixed? Were you?”. 

They both nod, feeling a little sheepish about it now that they actually had to confirm that was what they were doing and knowing that Danny explicitly wouldn’t and didn’t want that. Jack clears his throat, “separated really. So that Phantom would be fine too. We didn’t and don’t want to hurt the human or the ghost. But well...”.

Maddie looks at the ground before pointing at all the exploded samples and generalised mess. Jack, meanwhile, is noting that Danny actually looks more freaked out not less. 

Danny squirms in his seat and leans away from his parents, looking down at the ground, “I, um, splitting me. That would be, um, really _really _bad. I could have told you that”. 

Maddie nods, “yeah neither split sample was stable, basically self-destructed-”.

Danny cuts her off, jerking his head up and squinting at her, “wait...what? You, um, sure about that? There wasn’t, say, someweirdcombiningfullyghostmewithanotherghostthatstabilisedfullghostme?”.The last bit coming out in a rush and starling Maddie and Jack. That was way to specific to be a generalised guess. 

Jack and Maddie look at each other before nodding at Danny. While Danny blinks, “wait. So full split human me would have died too?”, now Danny just looks incredibly confused and the parents know they’re missing something here. 

Jack nods, “yeah. It would have been gradual because the DNA was all messed up. But! We figured out that split human you could survive so long as split ghost you gave ectoplasm donations”. 

Maddie nods at Jack and looks to Danny, “so it is possible. For both of you to survive. Just full...human, Danny would be reliant on Phantom”. 

They barely hear him mutter, “that fruitloop is an idiot”, before shaking his head and looking at them, “theoretically that would work. But, uh, not I practice. You see, um, I’ve been split before. Twice actually”.

Both of them breathe out, “what?!?”.

Danny nods and looks around, “the uh, first time wasn’t exactly done right. Your dream catcher thingy did it”, blinking and snorting, “actually it’s happened three times. Twice by the dream catcher. It’s just the um, first time only lasted a couple of seconds. Gave me a mild concussion and split my consciousness between the bodies. So I was aware of what both were doing, scared the hell out of me. Even if it was only five seconds or so. The second my personality split”, Danny cringes, “human Danny was lazy, kind of mean, and somehow had a mullet. Ghost Danny basically acted like Superman and decided wearing a bedsheet was a good idea. It was _bad_. It sort of, um, devolved? into both Danny’s being halfas but with different powers. Only one could fly, only one could shot ecto-blasts. Not fun”. 

Thankfully all three end up snickering or laughing by the end, it was rather ridiculous sounding. 

Maddie smiles, “I’m guessing the only reason your...two bodies were stable was because it wasn’t done right as you said? So they both still had stable ectoplasm and blood”. 

While Jack laughs a little, “we definitely don’t want to split your personality! Seems that thing sure caused you a lot of hassle!”. 

Danny nods with a smile before dropping it and looking away from them. Rubbing at his neck, “it did and yeah mom. But the other, or the third, time was successful. Full separation into a full human and full ghost. But, um, that incident is why I’d rather just be destroyed entirely than split, like, _ever_. It’s, um, also why I decided to tell you guys about being Phantom. It, uh, well, it happened yesterday”. 

Jack and Maddie were a little too startled by the whole ‘I’d rather not exist at all than be split’ thing to interrupt him. 

Maddie breathes out, “what...what happened?”, not able to think of any other words. 

Danny shivers and flinches a little, deeply worrying both parents, before he speaks, “honestly, I’d rather not talk about it. But, um, I should. Need to really. But it’s well, complicated. There’s time travel and alternate realities involved”, Danny shifts a bit, “so the C.A.T. right? I didn’t really get to study so I sort of, well, intended to cheat. I didn’t, obviously, but just intent was enough. It resulted in you guys, Jazz. Sam, Tucker and Mr. Lancer all dying and me getting adopted by crazy fruitloop idiot who decided splitting me would be a good idea”. 

Maddie waves her hands so Danny pauses, everyone looking a little ill, “what do you mean we died?”.

Danny clears his throat, “I time-traveled to undo it. But it happened, the only reason I survived the explosion that happened was because of being a halfa”, shifting, “but anyway. Got split. Ghost half got combined with another ghost, and, um, went utterly insane. Murdered the human half and, uh, went on to destroyallofhumanitymostghostsandwouldhaveeventuallydestroyedeverythingandone”, looking at the floor after breathing for a bit, Maddie and Jack a bit in shock, as Danny continues, “splitting me, it will basically cause the end of the world”, shifting again and looking up at them, “but, uh, I fought evil older me, trapped him in a thermos, and a friend reversed time because”, making quotation marks with his fingers, “you’ve given everyone else in your life a second chance. Why not you?”. Danny shrugs and he looks around, pretty well rambling at this point, “their name’s ClockWork, they’re great. Really great. Sort of like ghostly adopted me, legally responsible for me, all that stuff. They’re really old and like puns. The only good thing to come out of yesterday. Well, and deciding to finally tell you guys. So, um, uh, please don’t die...or try to split me. Just, like, forget that’s even possible, please?”. 

Danny shrinks down in his seat as they both stare at him. 

Both of them find it completely insane that their boy could every be that dangerous or hurt anyone, none the less the entire world. But it’s clear from his behavior that he’s telling the truth. Wondering if this is just something Danny could be or if this was because of Phantom’s ghostly influence. Or if Phantom wasn’t as good as they thought and it was just human Danny’s influence that made him good. Jack blinking and realising that yeah, combining two ghosts probably wouldn’t be good for either ghost. Neither having really thought much on the potential negative mental effects of being split. 

After a while Danny speaks up again, breaking them out of their thoughts, “um could you say something before my brain leaks out my ears or something?”. 

Jack clears his throat, “we won’t try to split you. But Danny-boy, are you er sure all of _that _would happen? If you got split?”. 

While Maddie whispers, “that must have been traumatising”. 

Danny nods slightly, looking at Maddie, “it was”, looking at Jack, “good and no, but, um, I’m not testing that out. Ever. There’s no reason to split me or force me full human again. I don’t want that”. 

Both parents look to each other and nod before giving Danny a strong nod. Everyone’s feeling a bit better. 

Maddie scrunches her eyebrows, “um sweetie? Why did no one stop you? Why did you have to do it? Hunters? Other ghosts? Why couldn’t they?”.

Danny rubs his neck awkwardly, “too strong. I’m, well, a lot stronger than you think. The, um, destruction thing, took ten years. And that was with evil me being as affected by anti-ghost stuff as much as a regular ghost”. 

Jack nods, Danny being stronger than expected was actually expected. Of course, he wouldn’t go all out against ghosts or hunters. He’s not actually trying to hurt them, just subdue them or get them to leave him alone. Deciding to satisfy other curiosities and make this conversation less depressing because he kind of felt like he was drowning right now, “so anti-ghost stuff does affect you less?”. 

Danny jerks and blinks, clearly caught off guard. But nods, “anti-ghost stuff affects me regardless of form, just well, less than it should for a normal ghost and even less when I’m, you know, human”. 

Jack nods and smiles, so he was avoiding their tech for a reason, “well I’m sorry if our stuff ever hurt you”. 

Danny shrugs and looks around awkwardly, “I don’t mind. But, uh, thanks”. 

Maddie blinks, realising that it wasn’t just Phantom that didn’t mind the injuries. Making her look to Jack, maybe he really was right, Danny too. Hybrid not a fusion of two. Blurting out, “and Phantom’s powers? Can you use them regardless?”. 

“It’s a slightly harder but yeah. I use them accidentally a lot”, Danny blushes at that and looks away from them as he holds up his arm and turns it invisible. 

Maddie and Jack share a look and nod. Maddie speaking again, “then you really must be one and the same”.

Danny blinks, “well yeah. Always have been”. 

Jack smiles and pats Danny on the shoulder, “you just act and hold yourself different when you’re Phantom. That’s because of the power boost and hero work, isn’t it?”.

Danny nods, “yeah pretty much. And Phantom doesn’t have to hide the powers, the strength, the ghostly knowledge. Phantom just interacts with civilians in passing. Fenton has to hide everything and deal with people all the time. As Phantom I’ve just got a job to do, make sure I use my ‘civilians voice’ when talking to people, and avoid hunters. As Fenton I have to be paranoid about everything. How I dress, otherwise the muscles and scars might be questioned. What language I speak, reigning in my strength, covering up accidental power use, making sure I look fully human, and yeah. That and I have to intentionally act different otherwise people might realise it’s me”, shrugging, “it’s, uh, a lot harder to intentionally make myself act different while fighting than while at school or eating supper”. 

Maddie frowns sadly a little, “so Phantom’s more accurate to who you are?”.

Danny nods and rubs his neck, “sorta? The civilians' voice is an act, the rest, not so much. I’ve gotten a little used to playing the weakling shy kid as Fenton, so it’s uh, hard to turn off sometimes”. 

Maddie nods, both parents thinking back to how Danny used to be before the accident and how he really had been rather outgoing, loud, an endless jokester. Phantom was much more dramatic, more of a showman, but that could be read as just having more confidence and a bit of ghosts nature for dramatics. Meanwhile, he had never really been the shy kid, reserved and close off sometimes sure, but not shy. 

Jack nods with a smile, “well you don’t have to keep it up around us! It’ll be a little weird you doing ghostly things but we’ll get used to it!”.

Maddie nods before ruffling his hair, “we don’t want you pretending. We’ll learn to accept it”. 

Danny nods, “that's good enough. I mean, obviously I’d like acceptance. But well, trying is fine and it’ll be kind of, uh, weird? using my abilities around you. But, um, please actually ask me things. I know myself well, more or less”. 

The two nod, clearly their boy had been through more than they actually knew. Both feeling pretty well sure that Phantom really was Danny, not some potentially malicious ghost of himself that he was just fused to. It was also insanely clear that breaking the bond of his two sides, his halfs, would be bad. And even if it was safe, Danny clearly didn’t want that and not because of any ghostly influence on him. 

Jack blinks, remembering something Danny said earlier, “wait, you were adopted by a ghost?”, blinking again and going wide-eyed, “wait, there’s a ghost that can CONTROL TIME?!?”. 

Danny snorts and laughs, “heh, yeah there sure is and they sure did. Humans know them as Father Time, and well....”.

The three spend the rest of the afternoon talking about the enigmatic time ghost and all the tales they had told Danny last night, tales of past kings, of art causing mass panic, of people building sexy Satan statues to piss off the church; some of the strange things they had watched over the eons retold in grand fashion to a young hero, who just needed to forget their trauma for a night.

**End.**


End file.
